NOVA

Science and Nature Series / 23 Seasons

NOVA brings you stories from the frontlines of science and engineering, answering the big questions of today and tomorrow, from how our ancestors lived, to whether parallel universes exist, to how technology will transform our lives. Visit the official website to watch full-length documentaries, or explore our world through short-form video, on our digital publication NOVA Next.

Watch Latest: S50 E18

53m 31s / TV-PG

Lee and Liza's Family Tree

S50 E18 / 53m 31s / TV-PG

With the help of scientists and genealogists, filmmaker Byron Hurt and his family members search for their ancestors. Follow their journey as they hunt for new details of a history long obscured by the enduring legacy of slavery.

The Battle to Beat Malaria

S50 E17 / 53m 54s

Are scientists on the verge of a breakthrough in the fight against malaria, one of humanity’s oldest and most devastating plagues? Follow researchers as they develop and test a promising new vaccine on a quest to save millions of lives.

Inside China's Tech Boom

S50 E16 / 53m 19s

In just a few decades, China has transformed into a science and technology superpower. See inside leading Chinese tech companies and labs to discover how they innovate, what drives their rise, and what it means for the future of the global economy.

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Ancient Earth: Humans

S50 E15 / 53m 15s

How did Earth give rise to humans? With stunningly realistic animation, witness the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs, the spread of primates across the planet, and the geologic events that made our species' existence possible.

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Ancient Earth: Inferno

S50 E14 / 53m 45s

252 million years ago, a devastating mass extinction wiped out about 90% of all species on Earth. Follow scientists as they piece together evidence to discover how life survived and set the stage for a new dominant life form: the dinosaurs.

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Ancient Earth: Life Rising

S50 E13 / 53m 47s

For billions of years, life teemed in Earth’s oceans while the land was desolate and inhospitable. See how life made the leap to land, transforming a barren, rocky landscape into the lush, green world we call home.

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Ancient Earth: Frozen

S50 E12 / 53m 46s / TV-PG

700 million years ago, Earth was a giant snowball cloaked in ice from pole to pole. How did life manage to hold on through this deadly deep freeze, find creative ways to bounce back, and thrive in the dramatically different world that emerged?

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Ancient Earth: Birth of the Sky

S50 E11 / 53m 47s / TV-PG

Early Earth was a hellscape of molten lava and barren rock, bombarded by meteors, with no atmosphere at all. How did our familiar blue sky – the thin, life-giving band of gasses protecting our planet – come to be?

Your Brain: Who's in Control?

S50 E10 / 53m 31s / TV-PG

Are you in control of your brain, or is your brain controlling you? Dive into the latest research on the subconscious with neuroscientist Heather Berlin to see what’s really driving the decisions you make.

Your Brain: Perception Deception

S50 E9 / 53m 30s / TV-PG

Is what you see real? Join neuroscientist Heather Berlin on a quest to understand how your brain shapes your reality, and why you can’t always trust what you perceive. Learn the surprising tricks and shortcuts the brain takes to help us survive.

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Hidden Volcano Abyss

S50 E8 / 53m 20s / TV-PG

In January 2022, one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history rocked the islands of Tonga. Join scientists as they investigate what caused the blast, how it spurred a devastating tsunami, and if another eruption could be imminent.

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Saving the Right Whale

S50 E7 / 53m 31s / TV-PG

The North Atlantic right whale is on the brink of extinction. But a handful of specialists are determined to help save it as they discover new secrets about the lives of these giants of the sea.

Chasing Carbon Zero

S50 E6 / 53m 31s / TV-PG

Can the U.S. reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and avoid the biggest impacts of climate change? Experts say it can be done. Here’s the technology that could get us there.

Weathering the Future

S50 E5 / 53m 31s / TV-PG

As extreme weather in the U.S. impacts more people – with longer heat waves, more intense rainstorms, megafires, and droughts – discover how Americans are fighting back by marshaling ancient wisdom and innovating new solutions.

New Eye on the Universe

S50 E4 / 53m 31s / TV-PG

Join scientists as they use NASA’s brand new James Webb Space Telescope to peer deep in time to hunt for the first stars and galaxies in our universe, and try to detect the fingerprints of life in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets

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Ancient Builders of the Amazon

S50 E3 / 53m 22s / TV-PG

Recent discoveries in archaeology are exploding the myth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of ancient civilizations that flourished for centuries, with populations numbering in the millions.

Star Chasers of Senegal

S50 E2 / 53m 20s / TV-PG

A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids over 400 million miles from Earth thought to hold important clues about the origins of our solar system. Just hours before, in Senegal, West Africa, a team of scientists sets out to capture extraordinarily precise observations vital to the success of the Lucy mission.

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